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SCOTLAND 2017
- Report from River Dee 2017 -
March 20 - 26
After arriving at the lodge on Sunday afternoon, it was only a few minutes before the first springer appeared rolling in majestic style on the break just downstream from the lodge. This of course gave us extra inspiration and the atmosphere was very good this first evening. We rigged up equipment and the conversation was positive about flies, lines, rods and more. Just as it often is and should be when springer fishing in the idyllic Dee. The river that many believe is the most beautiful in the world and which at this time is often referred to as the most beautiful adventure of the spring among keen salmon fishermen.
Already on his first fishing session this Monday in March, Roald from Bergen got to know salmon. Roald fishes some of the most classic holes in the Dee and the water level is perfect. After just a few minutes of fishing, the fish start to bite. A nice fight awaits and after a few minutes Roald can steer his very first springer to the bank. " Yiihaa ", what a brilliant start to the week and what a wonderful feeling to land his very first springer in the Dee. We congratulate Roald so much.
Thomas from Bærum also has a bite this morning but the fish are winning there and then. We see a lot of fish rolling and jumping in the relatively warm water, about 7 degrees, and the air temperature is about 14. Absolutely brilliant conditions except for an annoying crosswind from the north which made casting extra challenging.
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Stian from Vadsø has made the trip from cold Finnmark. Stian is fishing Middle Dee and when the fly sweeps over the lower part of the stretch it tightens up. Solid fish. And after a tough fight, Stian can finally land his very first springer. What a wonderful feeling to land March salmon while his friends back home in Vadsø are shoveling snow. What contrasts this is, comes from a smiling Vadsø resident who is lying slightly stretched out in the grass and enjoying the spring sun while the daffodils are in full bloom. Thomas, who had close contact with salmon yesterday, is now really on the hook. And after a few precise casts, it is again the fish that bites Thomas' fly. This time it sits and Thomas can land his first salmon on the trip so far and the second one in total as Thomas was also in the right place at the right time last year and landed his first Dee springer. We congratulate both Stian and Thomas for a well-executed fishing.
This second day offers several events that will go down in history for fishing trips from Dee. Frank from Bergen is also going to Dee for the first time. Frank was lucky and won the trip in 2instincts' anniversary raffle last season. Now Frank would finally get to present his flies in Dee. As mentioned, there was a lot of wind and some extra strong gusts. Frank felt this, literally, when he was fishing this Tuesday. The line and fly were taken by a strong gust of wind at the same time that Frank loaded the fly rod for another cast. The fly gained good speed but the direction was out of control. The fly with its double hook headed straight for Frank's chin, which was thus properly hooked. It took a trip to both the hospital and the doctor before the hook was removed. We asked the doctor if this was the first time he had removed fish hooks from the fishermen's various body parts. He smiles and makes the following comment: No No, many many times before.
On day three the last days wind was completely gone and the boys were really ready to present their flies in a beautiful sinking river. After a short round it tightened up on Thomas' sunray. It was a great fight and Thomas was finally able to control a great 6 kilo springer in the ghillie net. What a wonderful and great fish it was, silvery and lively just as we want them to be. We congratulate Thomas on another great salmon from Dee on this beautiful spring day.
Days 4 and 5 brought a falling river and great spring temperatures up to 14 degrees in the air while the river stayed steady at around 6 degrees. Both Stian and Thomas landed nice fish these days. Stian landed his third salmon on Thursday, a really strong and nice male salmon with a few lice on the spur. We congratulate Thomas and Stian for landing 3 great springers this week so far. From day 5 we also remember Roald's fantastic mushroom hamburger as really filling, it will be remembered for a long time to come, (internal).
The morning of day 6 and our last day of fishing starts with the sun shining from a clear blue sky. A brilliant spring day where the birds are singing at full speed. The river is still sinking and completely clear. After only a few casts there is a bite on Roald's fly. The fish rolls on the surface and takes a few short modest strokes. A celt has fallen for the temptation of Roald's little Potbelly. After another stroke it lets go and that's fine. We are hunting springers and we will catch the celts on a later occasion, when they are back in better shape. A little later there is another bite for Roald and this time it is a real hard stroke. Another springer on. After a nice hard fight Roald can again land another salmon in the Dee, his second of the trip. Imagine fishing the Dee in March in just a t-shirt, not many people think that is possible, it happened this day in the Dee. We congratulate Roald on a great salmon and if we are to interpret the last fishing session, with all the fish that we see jumping, rolling and splashing on the surface, it looks promising for Dee in the future.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our eminent hobby chef Stian for the brilliant food throughout the week. Having the food served for breakfast, lunch and dinner is something we all really appreciate, thank you very much.
We thank everyone who joined us on this lovely spring trip to the Dee in March, we hope to see you again along Deeside next year on 2instincts regular Scotland trip. For those of you who have not yet experienced the most beautiful spring adventure along the banks of the Dee, we can highly recommend this. Preferably especially to present your flies in this classic river in early spring. Given the many highlights of the year, we would recommend booking immediately as our places will be fully booked quickly.
A warm welcome!
Fly fishing greetings
Helge Vetas